St John the Baptist, Eltham High Street, London SE9 1DH

Sunday 22nd April

ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING TODAY
The Annual Parochial Church Meeting will be held in church immediately after the Eucharist today. It’s an opportunity to hear about what’s been happening in the church over the past year and is open to all on the electoral roll.

VOLUNTEER FOR WELCARE
Could you spare a few hours every couple of weeks? Welcare, a Christian charity long-supported by St John’s, is looking for volunteers. The organisation gives practical and emotional support to families in difficulty, providing one-to-one sessions for parents and children in a welcoming, non-judgmental environment. See welcare.org

ELTHAM CHURCH OF ENGLAND PRIMARY SCHOOL
The Bishop of Woolwich, the Rt Revd Dr Karowei Dorgu, will consecrate a new altar at a whole-school Eucharist on Ascension Day, 10th May. In preparation, Fr Jim is teaching pupils about the history and theology of the Eucharist. Please pray for the school and for Bishop Karowei.

JUNIOR CHURCH
We’ve been delighted to see significant growth in the number of children coming to our church. With our Junior Church classes now quite crowded, we encourage parents to leave children aged 3 and up in the care of class leaders. This allows parents to remain in church and participate in the service. If you have any concerns or questions, or would like to be involved with leading or assisting in Junior Church classes, please speak with Alex MacKenzie or Fr Jim.

ST PAUL’S ADULT LEARNING
As part of St Paul’s Cathedral’s adult learning programme this Spring, there are a number of free events, including a chance to see the new Bishop of London Sarah Mullally in conversation with Cathedral Dean David Ison on 4th June at 6.30pm. Mullally will discuss her faith, her life and how she feels about being the city’s first female bishop. For information on this and other talks, including booking details, please visit www.stpauls.co.uk/learning-faith/adult-learning

BIRTHDAY COFFEE
There are still some spaces on the Birthday Coffee list. If you would like to mark a birthday or some other special occasion, a list of available dates is on the church noticeboard. For a donation of £5, everyone can enjoy free tea or coffee on your chosen Sunday after the Eucharist. Please see Sheila Squire for more details.

CHRISTIAN AID WEEK
Christian Aid Week 2018 will run from 13th to 19th May. For more than 70 years, the charity has been helping to change the lives of people living in poverty around the world. Last year, St John’s raised more than £1,500, the most raised by any single church in Eltham. Robyn Price will be in touch in the coming weeks with news of this year’s Super Soup Lunch on Wednesday 16th May at 12.30pm, as well as the raffle, collections and other planned events.

‘THY KINGDOM COME’
The Archbishops of Canterbury and York are inviting churches across the world to observe 10 days of prayer in May from Ascension Day to the Day of Pentecost. As such, St John’s will be open for daily prayer at 10.30am to 12.30pm from 11th to 20th May. Some of those days will include the church’s regular worship. If you’d like to help us keep the church open during this time, please let Fr Jim know.